Knowing
by Tsubakibaki
Summary: Sasuke's finally returned to Leaf. Now the issue at hand is his bonds he thought he had so cleverly severed. Especially the bond connected to Sakura. He's becoming more aware of her with each passing moment but he's not aware of the effect he has on her. The longer he waits to address her, the more broken she becomes. Then, there's all the sacrifices she's made for him...
1. Knowing

A/N: This is my first fanfic in almost five years, but I've always been a huge SasuSaku fan. This chapter is just an introduction and is my vision of Chapter 699 in Naruto.

Summary: Now that the war is over, Sasuke's finally returned, but with a heart shattered and thoughts frazzled. Sakura, however, is there to help mend him, support him, and if necessary, watch his back leave one more time. Can Sasuke learn to love Sakura as she has loved him, or will she always love someone only capable of ever saying "Thank you"?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliations with the franchise.

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><p><em>Please… please… Kami have mercy!<em> Sakura frantically thought as she moved through the woods with Kakashi on her side. He could feel her anxiety… or was it his? He wasn't sure, not that it mattered in the end. The silence was eerie, certainly unwelcome between the two ninja. At least a battle cry was proof enough that someone was alive, but this silence!

_If only one of you would make noise! Sasuke, Naruto!_ Sasuke and Naruto had finally come into view as Sakura and Kakashi stopped on the side of the crater. Sakura's eyes darted, her actions couldn't keep up with her thoughts, and her thoughts couldn't keep up with her emotions, Damn it all to hell! Was all she could muster in her frazzled state; that was until her eyes landed on their goal, the two of them there were.

_Oh, God._ She made sure Kakashi could support himself, making quick eye contact him was a mistake, that look he gave her. Almost as if saying to prepare for the worst, not what she needed! _Ugh, Kakashi!_ She practically tripped over own feet getting down the gapping drop from where she was to where her most important people were. She stopped just before them, her facial expression concerned and broken.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto chimed. _Air._ Sakura had to remind herself to breathe, she wasn't sure when she forgot to inhale but she definitely didn't remember until she saw Sasuke's eyes and heard Naruto's voice.

She was still going at 110, the notion of seriously considering anything upon finding her best friend and the love of her life alive was out of the question. What felt like an eternity of silence to Sakura must have only been a few moments to the world, but she welcomed it. Only minutes ago her mind was bombing with thoughts, terrible, terrible possibilities and little hope. Her heart, still pounding against her ribs, had begun to slow, and as she allowed her remaining chakra to swell in her hands, she numbed. She didn't recognize her eyebrows furrowing, nor did she feel it when she bit through the side of cheek. To her, the world was still, her boys were alive, and she was… well she wasn't sure what she was but she was next to them, and for now, that was enough.

She had almost completely lost herself in thoughts of nothingness, almost completely numbed her heart after the events of the war and events of her personal life, when he spoke.

"Sakura, I…" Sasuke mustered.

"Don't… I need to concentrate." Sakura said quietly.

Part of her cursed mentally, she wanted to snap at him, dammit! She couldn't believe him! How indecisive can you be, do you want to kill your best friend and ignore my existence or do you want to accept you're a part of our lives?! Yet, hearing her name from his lips almost completely shattered her. It confused her, she was happy, she was angry, she just wanted an answer! It hurt, however, thinking of an answer.

In that split second, she knew. She knew she was just a teammate. She was just the right piece to fit the three man team puzzle. Never had Sasuke needed her, not once did Naruto need her. She wasn't necessary during anything, just after, just like right now. Help in combat? No, of course, why ask the only, new female sanin who surpassed Tsunade for anything in combat? The importance of her friendship? Forget that, too. She was nothing to him in comparison to Naruto's friendship and knew she never would be. He hadn't hesitated to "basically" ripping her chest out to make sure she stayed away from him and Naruto's big finale aka just the biggest fucking confirmation of their friendship she'd ever seen. She knew. She knew she loved someone who would never love her back. She knew she would always watch him, support him, and love him even if he were to love someone else. She knew she wasn't the one Sasuke wanted and it hurt more than anything she could imagine.

He knew she was lost in thought, otherwise she'd be showing more facial expression or giving herself away somehow that she knew he was watching her. Sasuke just soaked her in, he was tired, but she was here and he couldn't look away from her. He had messed up, he messed up so bad but somehow not only was Naruto here but Sakura was rushing to their side. She hadn't ignored his wounds like he expected, like would have made sense. She had shown him just as much attention as she had to Naruto. He didn't understand. Naruto was there for her, he watched her grow, he supported her, and Naruto saved Sakura from Sasuke's clutch! He fucking tried to kill her, and yet here she was, healing him. On the battlefield, she was determined to make it known that she loved him still. Just like Naruto had never given up on him as a friend, Sakura had never given up on loving him even though she had a hundred and one reason and then some to let him die right there. He knew he'd never be able to understand how he deserved Naruto and Sakura.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, never breaking his gaze from his cherry blossom. I_'m so sorry, Sakura… please, look at me._ His heart stopped, he was sure of it. If he could move, he wouldn't be able to. He didn't know when, maybe it was during the chunin exams when she had been beat to hell and back again for him, maybe it was when she tried to throw herself in between him and Naruto on the hospital roof all those years ago, or maybe it was when she confessed the first time the night he left, but Sasuke needed her. He needed her to smile at him when he barely grunted at her, he needed her to annoy him and he needed her to bring life and love and laughter back into his heart.

"Sorry? For what?" She replied. A lump formed in her throat. Breathe.

"For everything I've done," he stated. _For breaking your heart when you've only ever cradled mine._

Naruto only watched. It was bittersweet, but it was pure. He loved them both so much. They were his best friends, they were his family. He couldn't help cracking a huge smile at the situation, they were together; Naruto was smiling, Sakura was crying and Sasuke was torturing her, just like good ole times. _C'mon, Sakura! This is as close to Teme confessing as it's going to get!_ Naruto thought.

"You'd better… Geez...," Sakura mustered through tears. _Stop! Stop crying!_ She tried to control herself but failed, she was the strongest kunoichi she knew, literally, but fate hated her! Sasuke had her heart completely, he managed to break it and mend it at the same time. She hated and loved him for it all at once!

"You are so much trouble! Stupid," she felt satisfied with the last addition, because maybe that would be all the insult she could ever muster to his face from her heart. She felt the same about her place in his eyes, but she loved him regardless. _At least he apologized._ That was enough for her for now.

Kakashi looked on from the cliff. Seeing them as they were he couldn't help but recall the first meeting of Team 7. What they had endured from that time so many years before to where they were now was not was Kakashi has expected, but to him, it made them all that much more precious. They were his kids, they were his family, too and he loved them each unconditionally.

"They've finally returned," smiling Kakashi pulled his Leaf headband back down over his Sharinganless eye. Looking back at them, he found a joker like smile planted on Naruto's face and a very welcome grin on Sasuke's. Sakura would dry her tears and join them soon. It was then that Kakashi knew the world was as it should be.

"Alright! Yeah! Let's go get everyone else out of this jutsu, I'm ready to snuggle Hinata!" Naruto roared, pumping his only fist in the air and gloating in his romantic bliss at the thought of Hinata's presence.

It wasn't until her amazing act of heroism and love that he realized he loved Sakura but he had misinterpreted his feelings. He loved Sakura like a sister, more than any actual brother could love a sister but that was the closest he could describe it. Sakura could never be replaced to him, she was his little cherry blossom whom he had watched grow into an amazing Sannin like Sasuke and himself. She never faulted in her devotion to Sasuke, not only as a teammate like Naruto but she never faulted in her love toward him and because of that Naruto admired her. Hinata, however, he could plant one on her!

Naruto's face shot red when he realized where his mind was going, looking at Sasuke and Sakura he thought maybe a little time alone wouldn't kill them. Gazing up, Naruto spotted Kakashi.

"Hey, before we do that, actually, I need to go see Kakashi about… um… a thing, hold on for just a few!" Naruto exclaimed before jumping up the cliff to Kakashi. Leaving Sasuke and Sakura to themselves for a few moments.

The tension grew immediately.

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><p>Cliffhanger! I felt a recap of 699 was a good place to start. Obviously, from here on, nothing will be supported from anything in the manga. I tried to keep it as close to the original for this chapter, though. From now on, it'll start to be my own ideas. I draw a lot of inspiration from fanart, especially now anything to do with Sarada. I hope to update a chapter a week. I'm thinking I'll have something probably around Wednesdays or Thursdays. Hope you liked it!<p> 


	2. Mending

A/N: Hey, mina! Thanks for all your follows, it's a great feeling to know my story is liked and is being read. Again, this is my first fan-fiction in several years, and I noticed I had some typos on my first chapter, I apologize. I am in college, so I'll be updating during my spare time, but I enjoy writing for pleasure so hopefully I can get a chapter a week published. I love hearing from you, reviews are also a great way to hint anything you might want to happen in the story, so if you have a suggestion, send it my way! If I use it, or find inspiration from it, I'll be sure to mention you in the author's note! Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Two: Mend<p>

…_Did he seriously just leave me alone with Sasuke-kun? The jutsu doesn't seem like something that should wait, Naruto! _Sakura thought. She was stunned frozen; Sasuke gazed as her through a side glance, an expression of deep thought was written across his face but Sakura didn't notice. He closed his eyes for just a moment then attempted to get up, this caught Sakura's attention.

He fumbled; the blood loss and general drain on his body caught him off guard. _How did the Dobe just get up so quickly like that? _He questioned, but then again, it was Naruto. In a few hours and a couple of ramen bowls, he'd be at his normal energy level again, even without an arm.

Sakura darted to his side. It was instinctive to her, for him and Naruto her body would move before she knew was going on. She quickly slid her left arm under his right shoulder and supported his massive, muscular frame with her tiny body. Funny, she never felt small, but next to Sasuke, Naruto or Sai, she felt fragile and tiny. Part of her hated it, she furrowed her brows. The idea of being anything less than enough for them disgusted her. Then again, she liked how she felt under Sasuke's arm. She was supposed to be the one supporting him but somehow she felt like she was being protected… it was a welcome feeling. _Wait… I'm touching… _Sakura realized her thoughts might have been going on for longer than necessary when she looked up to see what level of irritated Sasuke's face would present.

Her doe-like eyes widened when she failed to find annoyance but, dare she think it, relief. Her heart skipped a beat, or four, she wasn't sure. He was looking away from her, but not far enough that she couldn't see his onyx orbs glazed over with a mix of discomfort at her closeness and relief at her help. She even thought she was starting to go crazy because she spotted a haze of red on his cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry. I just reacted, I didn't want you to fall," Sakura said, placing her right hand on his chest to steady him more even though he didn't need it." Sasuke didn't pull away, she didn't know it, but he welcomed her touch.

In the midst of his stumble, he was pissed at the realization he, the surviving Uchiha, was going to fall over in front of his team, but especially in front of her. _…my team? _Sasuke recognized his wording; he was becoming possessive of them. He remained slightly stern; it wasn't the time or place to ponder the depth of his true feelings, but it fucking surprised, that was for sure. He hardly thought about them in his time away, he thought he had truly severed the ties. It was just before Sakura weaseled her body around his that Sasuke realized he hadn't severed a damn thing. He had only buried them and damn it had they grown in the soil of his soul. He was losing his ability to pretend his composure was flawless, and truthfully, he wasn't sure he minded.

That was when she caught him. He was startled; it didn't show, there was not jump or gasp, but his eyebrows rose ever so slightly. He was sure he was too heavy for her, but she had good footing, a strong grip and a gentle touch. Damnation, she was so careful with him it made his heart ache. This one gesture was the most obvious representation of her devotion to him he had ever witnessed. She was tired, too; he had seen it on her face when she first arrived to heal him and Naruto from his stupidity. She was emotionally drained, physically warn (she summoned Katsuyu for the entire Shinobi Alliance and infused her chakra to heal every person,) and pushed her limits to get him back to right dimension, this hadn't been easy for her either. Sakura should be passed out, but there she was, again, rushing to his side.

For the half second that she was looking down, Sasuke glanced at her tucked under his shoulder. _Why do you love me so much? No matter how often I push you away, you always fight for me._ When he noticed her head turning upwards, he averted his gaze. He couldn't look in her eyes, he felt too ashamed. He wasn't ready to really have the person who loved him most in this world see him as he was, even though she already had and he knew she didn't care. He had the burden of his past on his shoulders, and although he already had her heart, he wasn't ready to admit it to himself.

When she apologized for catching him, his eyebrow twitched. _Why is she apologizing?_ Then the gentle placement of her hand on his bare chest made him stiffen. As if he wasn't already aware of her soft body pressed up against his that hand just sent him way over his personal boundary line. _Fuck, since when Sakura get curves? _He practically rolled his eyes, _since when did I notice Sakura? _He closed his eyes like usual to block out the world. Sasuke inhaled and gripped Sakura's upper arm in appreciation and recognition of her support. Then, through half lidded eyes he looked at her with an expression of ease.

"It's fine, Sakura. Thank you," he said and motioned for a nearby boulder to rest on.

Sakura nodded, stunned, but she attempted to control the obviousness of her emotion around him. _This is going to be hard,_ she thought in regards to keeping an emotional check around him.

They walked side by side to the boulder where Sakura eased Sasuke down, her hand lingering on his chest before she withdrew it. He saw the look in her eye; she was lost in her own thoughts for that moment. He couldn't entirely read her, which he didn't like. He liked knowing what was going through her head, but this look… pained, numb, and isolated… did he do that? She shouldn't feel like any of those things! He was becoming more irritated by the thought.

"Dobe! Are you ready yet?!" Sasuke scowled. What could he possibly have needed to talk to Kakashi about for this long?

Naruto looked down; he said a brief comment to Kakashi, then jumped the entire gap down.

"Don't get so pissy with me, U-chi-ha," Naruto exclaimed, "Hai, I'm ready." Naruto offered his hand to Sasuke to pull him up, which Sasuke took, and they began the seal to release the jutsu.

**[A/N: I'm going to avoid that whole lengthy Sasuke POV from Chapter 699, so if you haven't read it, which I can't imagine why, please read Chapter 699 from Naruto! From here on, I won't be following anything. Just my imagination which probably won't include the construction of freaking New York in Leaf or a perfectly harmonious ending, I still like my action. Thanks!]**

**Time Lapse: Jutsu was released, the story will pick up in Leaf. Everyone's reconnected and is in a bustle to reconstruct.**

Everyone's trip back to what was left of their homes was troublesome to say the least. There was the wounded, the defeated, the broken, and the tired. However, there was hope. They had survived, perhaps without limbs or loved ones, but they were still in this world. So, with heavy hearts, the Shinobi Alliance parted ways to begin anew.

A few weeks into the reconstruction, things were getting back to normal, more or less. The entire Leaf Village was a giant construction zone, surprisingly enough the majority of the buildings survived. A portion had collapsed and several buildings had been severely damaged, but total destruction had not happened. Most of the attention didn't need to be focused on infrastructure of Leaf, but the shinobi. Sakura couldn't catch a break and with Tsunade too busy with her duties as Hokage, the hospital was left in her care. Sakura sat back in her chair in her office they scraped together the day they returned. She recalled the disarray everyone endured in those first few days back. Sasuke became a ghost, she hardly saw him. Him and Naruto had been admitted to the hospital, consulted for new arms, and after about three days of recovery, had been given permission, by Sakura, to leave the hospital. It'd been two weeks since, and she hadn't seen him since.

Naruto popped in about once a day, each time with Hinata, which delighted Sakura. She was so happy for them! Honestly, she felt relieved that Naruto had found someone who could love him as passionately as he could love. Naruto was irreplaceable to her, she would die for Naruto and his happiness meant the world to her. The way he looked at Hinata, it was bliss. Suddenly, though, she felt a sting in her chest. Funny, she was so ecstatic for him, truly, but the thought of it made her chest tight. She was still leaning back her chair when she looked out her window from her third floor office. It was beautiful outside. A light breeze, plenty of sunshine, she could hear the bustle from the streets. Happiness surrounded her but she could feel the pain growing. So desperately had she been trying to push it away since they returned, but she couldn't. Naruto's growing affection for Hinata reminded her of something she'd never have with Sasuke.

_God,_ she thought, _I really am pathetic. He's made clearer than clear what I am to him, but I just can't stop loving him. _A lump formed in her throat and her eyes stung but tears didn't fall. She reaffirmed her decision, _I can't stop myself from loving you, Sasuke, but I won't persist anymore. At least you know. _She closed her eyes, content in accepting her position as a tool for him to start a new life. The chest tightness didn't dissipate, it spread.

She grunted just a little and bit her bottom lip, resting her head on her open palm. "Ugh, just stop...," she whispered, unaware Naruto had stopped outside her door. He had seen her leaning back in deep thought and decided to wait outside her door before busting in. It was when she grunted that he put two and two together. It wasn't hard for him to read her, she was his sister, for lack of a better word. He frowned, his ocean blue eyes swimming with helplessness and sadness. He would have punched the wall, but that would have given him away, and he would prefer to leave as quietly as he had come in. However, it was during his brief thoughts that he failed to notice Sakura had gotten up from her desk and was in the doorway.

"Naruto? How long have you been here?" She asked, her big emerald eyes shimmered, but in a manner that gave her pain away. His chest pained and again his eyebrows furrowed just a smidge. He had watched her struggle for years with her conflict over Sasuke. Now, he was back, she had said and done all she should and could, and for nothing. Sasuke had accepted Naruto as his best friend, but why couldn't he at least acknowledge Sakura with more than a "sorry" and "thank you?" _Sakura... tch..._ He thought.

Putting his arm behind his head like the usual Naruto, he planted a very convincing grin on his face and closed his eyes as he said, "Hey, Sakura-chan! I just wanted to stop by to make sure you had eaten something! I know the hospital is really busy still, so it'd be just like you to get too caught up in your work and forget to eat."

She smiled, he was always looking out for her. She grabbed his arm and locked hers with his, then began leading them down the hallway. Her step had a little pep in it and she briefly tilted her head on his shoulder. His facial expression was at first surprised, and he tripped a little when she began dragging him forward, but once he got in step with her and saw her mood had lifted a little, he smiled and felt just good.

"Naruto, after your many proclamations of love for me and coming here especially for my well being is too suspicious! You need to consider Hinata's feelings about this!" Naruto opened his mouth but Sakura cut him off, "I'm serious! I can take care of myself! Now, if you're so worried about lunch, go ask her!" She released his arm, stopped in front of the elevator and put her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.

"Sakura-channnn, I have! Hinata and I just ate ramen! She knows I really, really, really like her! You're still my best friend though," he said behind a puppy dog face.

She giggled, "Alright, I just don't want you messing this up! Now shoo, I have things to do!" She motioned her hands in a swishing way toward the elevator.

He grinned, "I won't mess this up, believe it!" He didn't even look at the elevator, he jumped out the window, onto the roof, waved back at Sakura and on to the next roof. She watched him for as long as she could see him. Sighing, Sakura checked with the nurses and staff. To her surprise, things had officially slowed down and for the first time in three weeks, she could leave early.

Gathering her personal items, she walked out of the hospital. _Huh. What do I do now? _She walked for several minutes when stopped at a bench to sit. After a few moments of relaxing, she started to notice where she was, what she didn't notice was who was watching her from the trees.

_We always end up here, don't we, Sakura?_

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><p>AN: Hey! I'm sorry this one is kinda... a lot? I wrote half on one day and half on the other. I prefer setting up my story before I just jump right into the romance. So on that note, I would like to formally announce that the romance will really kick off next chapter! I don't plan on getting them too out of character, but as we all know, Sasuke does become capable of love enough to marry her, bang her and have Sarada, to put it lightly! Sorry about the bluntness. Anyway, I'll have a new chapter sometime this week! Don't expect anything at least until Wednesday. -Tsubaki


	3. Confession

A/N: Hey, guys! It never fails, after I upload the chapter I notice all my typos. So I apologize in advance you notice I forgot words or mispelled something. I often speed type these chapters between work or class or late at night, so I my fingers are flying in hopes of getting it done. Again, things are going to be a little different now. I'm no longer going by the manga, to an extent. This is my version of what's going on between Sakura and Sasuke after 699 but before he leaves, if I even make him do so. I also like the idea of still having some action, a peaceful world is nice, but makes for a boring story. Also, I'm pondering the idea of Itachi being alive, but that will be a while from now. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>[This is a little bit of what Sasuke was doing in the three weeks back]<strong>

Sasuke had three weeks to himself, and to his surprise, Naruto didn't pester him. Not to say that Naruto didn't come around, but Sasuke didn't find it annoying. He welcomed Naruto into his presence, he actually found himself a little disconnected that Naruto didn't follow him around 24/7, but with his new infatuation with the Hyuuga girl Sasuke couldn't blame him. Naruto deserved love and Sasuke felt pretty damn good for him.

When Naruto wasn't around him, though, he had finally allowed himself to think about how he felt. He thought about Kakashi and Naruto, how protective they were of him, how bonded they felt. He knew Kakashi was ninja enough to let Sasuke go, but he hadn't. He kept faith in Sasuke when he had given Kakashi no reason to, especially considering he had the intent to kill Sakura in front of Kakashi. When he recollected that memory, it had made him cringe. He had poisoned himself for revenge on the innocent, both Itachi and Leaf, and in that confusion made mistakes that would haunt him forever. Although the ties Kakashi and Naruto held with him confused him, they held no comparison to the confusion he felt when he thought about Sakura's devotion.

He had never "really" welcomed her. During their time as team seven, she was in his way. Her annoying crush and weak nature ticked him off. He questioned her motives to being a shinobi, he questioned her abilities, and he damn well didn't think she deserved to be on the same team as Naruto and him. Still, in the chunin exams she had been braver beyond his imagination. He remembered the way she looked, ragged as hell, broken but determined. He didn't quite understand why he reacted so protectively that day, but he was ready to slaughter the sound nin that put her through that. Never did he want to see her so injured, especially over him.

He also thought about her protecting him when Gaara had lost his mind. They both knew she didn't stand a chance, but for him, she stood her ground with only a kunai and blocked Gaara's way to Sasuke. She always shielded him, caught him, picked him up. No matter how many times he rejected her, she just kept shining bright for him.

It was during the three weeks that Sasuke thought less and less about Naruto and Kakashi and more and more about Sakura. He admired her. She had trained with a sannin like Naruto and himself, which made him smirk at the thought of his whole team being the new generation sannin. She had surpassed Tsunade in medical ninjutsu and was currently head medic at the Leaf Hospital. Her strength was terrifying, her abilities flawless, and her kindness knew no boundaries. He didn't know why she loved him, but he was glad. The idea of her love for him made him swell with something. He was relaxed at the idea of her, he had a essence of home when he was with her; he felt safe with Sakura. The day Sakura left the hospital early was the same day Sasuke acknowledged his feelings. In the end, Sasuke didn't find her annoying because she was weak, he found her annoying because of her love. Something he thought he lost the day he lost his clan, something he thought he would never be capable of, something he didn't want anything to do with, she had showered him in for years without an ounce of it in return. He didn't know how to approach it, but Sasuke had realized in the midst of his new struggles to accept himself he would Sakura more than ever, and he would have to learn to love her back.

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><p><strong>[Present day, back to the end of chapter two]<strong>

_We always end up back here, don't we, Sakura? _Sasuke thought while looking at her from the trees. He had a relaxed facial expression. Mouth in a simple line, legs crossed on a branch, and his head leaned back against the trunk. He was just watching her. He hadn't expected to see her out of the hospital for another week, but with her skills she must have flown through the whole village and worked over without realizing there was no one else for her to tend to. The nurses and doctors could actually do their job now that the severely complicated procedures had been completed by her. _She probably did everything. Tch. Too stubborn to let anyone help her._

His eyes narrowed, she had laid down on the bench in the same position he left her in the night he left. His chest tightened. Was she thinking about him?

She was mindle_ssly staring at the sky watching the clouds barely move. She finally let herself think about him. Was he okay? Did his arm hurt? Was he really going to be able to move forward or would he revert and attack the village? Was he eating properly? Maybe she at least drop food off at his apartment._ From there, she pillaged her memories of times when they were genin. She remembered watching him in pain, watching the hatred grow. She felt pain herself, and hatred with herself for not being able to help him. A cloud rolled over the Sun and with the sudden darkness, she flashed back to the war, her body instinctively activated her chakra seal and the purple lines flourished over her. She shot up, eyes wide, the picture of the ten tails vividly scanned her mind.

She gasped a sharp loud inhale, clutching a kunai on her side. Sasuke faltered at the sight, what had just happened?! His sharingan activated in reaction to her and found his way next to her in a second.

"What's wrong?!" He demanded, taking her right arm in his grasp, looking her dead in the eyes with his multi-color orbs spinning.

She whipped her head in his direction, her eyes like marbles, huge, round and inspirational, but frightened. His grasp tightened, wanting to take away anything but pleasure and happiness in her face.

"Sasuke...kun?" She whispered, "How did you…"

He didn't loosen his grip nor his stance, "Are you okay?" he enunciated each word sternly.

"Hai," she looked confused then realized her situation. Looking down at her hands she examined her chakra designs then made an effort to deactivate her seal. Sasuke was watching her like a hawk. Upon seeing her seal retreat, he slowly let go then straightened his stance next to her, finally breathing at a normal pace and deactivating his own sharingan. _Huh. The sharingan just activated… like father's did when mother…._ he pushed the thought aside, focusing on Sakura again.

She was beginning to fuss a little, he could sense her discomfort. A smile faker than Sai's old personality planted itself on her face.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke! I don't know what came over me. I," Sakura piped but he cut her off.

"Yes, you do. A seal like that doesn't just _accidentally _activate, Sakura," he said matter-of-factly to her, "What's going on? You look beat to hell and back. Your eyes are bloodshot, you don't look like you've slept in days, and," her stomach growled, "that."

Her mouth went ajar, _He's….worried? ….No. This is just him being annoyed that his teammate is anything less than up to par. Pull it together, Haruno! _

"I have responsibilities, now. The village was a nightmare, shinobi were in parts; it's my job to get Leaf back to 100%. I don't have time for sleep or food," her stomach growled in return, arguing her defense. She blushed a little, looking not quite down, but more south of his eyes at the sound of her hunger. She had lost her leverage.

"Hn," he muttered, grabbing her wrist and dragging her down the sidewalk. He was going to watch her eat if he had to, but she would eat. Then, sleep would come after. His strides were long and swift, she stumbled forward when he pulled her so abruptly. Then had to do quick double steps to keep up with him. Her hair was just long enough now for her to have pulled it back into a messy french braid that she had pulled to her side with her Leaf headband in its usual spot atop her head. She was wearing a v-neck red blouse without sleeves, a black skirt that went to her mid-thigh which waved in the wind but she still had her usual sparring black short under it, not that you could tell. The newest addition was her white lab coat, the sleeves were rolled up to mid-forearms and her shoes, although still shinobi appropriate, were pink and strappy. Her hair bellowed in the breeze, as did her skirt and lab coat.

She didn't argue with him, she would be sure to stay on his good side, but she would also keep in mind that to do that would mean to have a backbone when talking to him.

"Where are we going, Sasuke?" she asked.

_Sasuke? That's a little too formal for my taste…_ he thought when he didn't hear the "-kun" after his name.

"Food, you can't do anything properly if you haven't eaten," he claimed. _You're too busy looking after everyone else._

She just looked at him through their walking. Why did he care? Not like they had a mission to go on, she'd eat when she had time to worry about it.

They stopped at a side cafe. Tomato dishes were the speciality. Sasuke wasn't sure if it'd still be open, or standing for that matter, but it had survived. It needed some roof repairs and new furniture, but it had enough to still function. They took a seat at the bar.

"Welcome to Toma-san! What can I…" the waitress chimed but halted when she saw Sasuke. It wasn't anything new to him. They should be scared. Word had gotten out that he was with Orchimaru and the truth about the Uchiha Clan. Of course rumors started over why he and Naruto were missing arms, not that the rumors were too far off from the truth. The waitress's eyes screamed fear, her jaw quivered and she faulted in her footing. Sasuke just sat there, eyes closed, hoping she'd at least continue the question for Sakura's sake.

"What? Haven't you ever seen an armless shinobi? Geez," Sakura snapped, "He lost because he was fighting for ya know, the world." Her eyes narrowed in annoyance with the waitress's reaction to him. Sakura knew the reasoning, but she was here and wasn't going to take that.

Sasuke smirked. He didn't open his eyes, but the bite in Sakura's tone was wonderful. He wouldn't be able to comprehend her devotion, but he could now accept it. And by God, did he love that she loved him. His smirk faded. He loved that she loved him but she was still without anything from him in return.

"Sakura, it's alright. I'm used to it," he cooed. The waitress looked between the two. The man she feared was trying to calm the vexed medic who had a reputation of an angel at the hospital and woman she welcomed was staring poisoned kunai at her. Stunned, the waitress remained a few feet away and finished her sentence, "Um, what can I get for you two?"

Sakura relaxed, she looked down at the menu and said, "Two shrimp steamers, miso soup, edamame, a cup of black tea and a cup of sake, please," without looking back up at the waitress.

Sasuke answered, "Grilled tomatoes, steamed rice and green tea." Then the waitress scurried to the back for the preparation.

He didn't feel like initiating the conversation but Sakura's outburst back on the bench had his attention more so than he would like. Right when he was about to speak, Sakura opened her mouth.

"I see the war," she said while looking down at her hands in her lap, "I see Karuma leaving Naruto lifeless, I see the ten tails wiping everyone out, I see Kaguya destroying our lives… most of all, I see…," she hesitated.

"Tell me" he questioned.

She took a deep breath and looked at him. He had opted for a new hand band that didn't reflect any affiliation to Leaf. It pushed part of his hair in between his eyes. His shirt was bigger and you could tell he didn't quite know what to do with his one arm. Where he would normally cross his arms, he didn't have that option. So the larger shirt helped him leave his one arm dangling, or wherever he put it, without much evidence of where it was. He had a cool expression, always watching her. She briefly considered not telling him, but perhaps it would help her sleep at night if she told him.

"I see you. All the time. I see you failing to make it to me in time before I run out of chakra. I see you mangled on a boulder because of Naruto. I see you manic and lost. I see you hopeless. I see you broken," she was becoming frantic. Her breath was quickening, her face was heating up and her throat felt like it was closing. She couldn't control herself, she loved him so much. She had gone three weeks without seeing him, without going to look for him, but not once had she really stopped thinking about him. Her hands were becoming clammy. She didn't need to him to love her back, so she told her herself, she just wanted to know the depth of love she felt for him. Not telling him was like not breathing. She need to tell him so she could live at least a somewhat normal life.

His heart race picked up. He wasn't ready for her confession. He was expecting it to be him, yes, but he thought she'd only give him bare minimal or hide it. The waitress came back and slide their food down in front of them. She left without a word, having heard part of the conversation and sensing the tension, she wanted nothing more to do with the two shinobi in her restaurant.

Sasuke never broke his gaze from Sakura's eyes, which were burning with love, passion and a glimpse of sorrow.

She hadn't been silent long, but she had to say it. "Sasuke. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," she said looking into his chest, "loving you this much wasn't exactly on my agenda when we graduated the academy." He listened intently. "I had a crush you, a huge one," she scoffed at herself and partially rolled her eyes. "But what I wasn't expecting was for it to grow." She looked back up into his eyes with the same passion as before, "I do love you, but I love you enough to let you find your own happiness." She smiled. It was small, but genuine. Her eyes squinted with it and there was glistened tears threatening to fall over that never did. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun, so sorry." She didn't have to say it for him to understand the meaning behind her last proclamation.

Sakura was apologizing for her annoying love. She was apologizing for the loss of his family. She was apologizing for Itachi. She was so empathic with his feelings it literally destroyed him from the inside out. Then, she simply sipped some sake and took a bite out of a shrimp steamer.

_Sakura. You won't even ask for a response in return? _And she didn't. Sakura expected nothing out of him. She just wanted for it to be heard. Not that he was sure he had one to begin with, but she deserved something. He took a gulp of green tea.

"Sakura." He stated.

_Please, I don't need you to answer. I know what you'll say._ "Sasuke, it's okay. You don't have…," but she was interrupted.

"I know. I didn't before, but I know now. I know how much you love me. I'm sorry. I just… I don't know if I can love you back. It's not because of you!," he was worried he would offend her, "It's just, I'm not good. Right now. I need time."

She had an expressionless face, it wasn't harsh but it wasn't happy. She just let his words sink in.

"Then I'll wait," was all she replied and smiled an actual smile, which had successfully convinced him that she'd be okay. _Hn. She'll learn to let go and love someone else with time. _He was content with their conversation. He didn't burdened to love her in return. Actually, he felt more at ease around her. Confident that she'd move on, but still comfortable in her current thoughts toward him. He went to take another bite out of his grilled tomato, pleased that he finally looked at Sakura as an equal teammate.

_I told you, but you just don't understand, do you, Sasuke? _Sakura thought while drinking her tea. At the conclusion of their meal, they parted ways. It was civil, a courteous "thank you for eating with me," "we should catch up in a few days," and "see you later," was about the extent of their goodbyes.

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><p>They didn't see each other for about a week, when Naruto and Sasuke came back into the hospital for the procedure to replace their arms. Sakura was the head medic over the operations, both successful and a week after that, the boys were released from the hospital. Sakura had lunch with Hinata almost every day and had grown close to the Hyuuga. Life was becoming more and more normal, it had been a month since the war had ended. Things were looking up outside of her emotional life until one night when the entirety of team seven had decided to have dinner together.<p>

"I think I'll be leaving soon," Sasuke said through the conversation of Sai, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi, "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

Sakura's heart stopped and her vision went black.

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><p>AN: This chapter is a little longer and I'm really not satisfied with it but it's done. I apologize for the typos! -Tsu


	4. haruno

_A/N: Sorry I skipped a week! As you know, I'm in college and our semester is quickly coming to an end so I'm rather pressed for time as we get closer to the holidays! Speaking of, for those of you who celebrate it, Happy Early Thanksgiving! As far as this chapter goes, I'm typing this up off the top my head so I hope you enjoy. As always, I love hearing from you, just a quick comment about how you like the story or how you'd like to see something happen really motivates me! 3 Tsu_

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><p>Everything was going great. Sasuke was actually talking to Sai, Naruto wasn't being a complete idiot, and Kakashi and Sakura were having meaningful conversation. He just had to ruin it, didn't he?! The moment he opened his mouth and his confession escaped, she was certain the world had stopped. LEAVE?! He had just gotten back, they were all finally finding a sense of normalcy in the world. How could he? How dare he?!<p>

Apparently the world hadn't stopped, Sakura had just blacked out, although still seated upright.

"Saku…Sakur…. Sakura-chan!" Naruto belted. She jumped slightly in response, finally blinking. She didn't know how long she'd been staring off into space but her eyes were wide open and dry. She realized her eyes stung a little and nonchalantly wiped under her right eye at an angle with her index finger.

Sakura looked at Naruto, she wore an expression of shock, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other.

"Hai, Naruto?" She replied, practically screaming mentally that he'd tell her she just spaced out and Sasuke hadn't just admitted he was leaving.

"You, uh, okay? D'ja catch anything Teme said?" He asked, looking mildly concerned for his best friend.

Sakura' s mouth gaped a little, she thought about his question then averted her gaze to Kakashi and Sai, who were looking at her with expressions of concern and confusion themselves. Had Sasuke said more? How much had she missed? She took a silent gulp of air, trying to speak with control.

"I… I guess not. I thought all he said was," she looked at Sasuke who was blankly staring at her, "I thought all you said was you were leaving," she stated. Her eyebrows had relaxed, she making the conscious effort to not give herself away.

He studied a little longer, right when he opened his mouth to speak, Kakashi interjected.

"Sakura, that was 10 minutes ago," was all Kakashi said through a cool expression, already seeing through her like glass. Naruto and Sasuke still needed practice when it came to understanding Sakura, but Kakashi read her like one of his Ichi Ichi books: with as much as ease as breathing.

She found reserve in Kakashi's gaze. As her first sensei, like Naruto and Sasuke, she, too, had a bond with him that the others wouldn't understand. Sakura never connected to her parents, especially after finding out her true family history. It was Kakashi who shouldered her, who protected her; it was her bond to him that kept her anchored. He wasn't 100% her sensei but he wasn't 100% a father figure. He was more like a doting uncle that took the responsibility as a parent because she needed him to be there for her. After a few moments, she felt at ease. She was collected and Kakashi saw the wave of relief rush over her face.

_There. You can do this,_ Kakashi thought, practically convinced that Sakura knew what was going through his mind.

With complete confidence, Sakura bounced back. Although it was an act, she could have fooled even Tsunade. She smirked and let out a small giggle.

"Sorry! I was thinking about something potentially super serious back in my office. It's a long story but when Sasuke said 'leaving' it reminded me of what I might have left at the hospital," she bite her bottom lip and looked diagonal to the ground making it look as if she were still concerned over her 'situation' at the hospital. She exhaled and smirked again, looking back at Sasuke.

"What was it you said?" she asked, eyes glistening with curiosity.

Sasuke was stuck, he really wasn't sure if she was being honest or covering up. His eyebrow twitched, not wanting to think too hard about it. He let his shoulders relax, inhaled and resumed a normal state.

"I said I was thinking about leaving soon," he looked at her, "I need to find out who I am. I did a lot of things while I was away the first time. I lost myself," he looked outside the restaurant into the busy night street of Leaf. "I'd rather not go into detail, but I feel that I can't move on like everyone else until I've seen the world through my new eyes. I can't have a future until I redeem, or at least come to terms, with my past," his eyes were glazing over with memories. Memories team seven wasn't a part of, they could all tell.

A lump got caught in her throat. She couldn't deny him this. She couldn't try to stop him like before. When he left the first time, he was going to destruction, and every bit of her attempt to block his way was in the right. This, though, was his way to redemption, something she wouldn't understand and something she wasn't a part of, like always. God, how she hated this! She hated it so damn much! Why was it always Kakashi or Naruto who was able to be a part of his life but she was just a bench warmer?! Sakura knew Kakashi and Naruto were rooting for him, she already saw it on their stern faces as she looked at them. Her face hardened, her lips went into a piercing line. At least Sai looked indifferent, but still not as indifferent as she would have liked; even the fact that Sai was being able to show more emotion without trying now pissed her off because he was looking at her and she knew Sai knew what was really in Sakura's heart.

She looked back at Sasuke, sickening at the look of pain and confusion on his face. Her jaw was trembling with disgust, loathing the idea of what she was about to say.

"When do you leave?" she asked though gritted teeth.

Her voice broke his trance; he looked back at her and leaned his chair on the back two legs, thinking of his answer.

"I have to get permission from Tsunade and the elders first, but hopefully within the month. The faster, the better," he exclaimed, then taking a swallow of sake.

She let the words sink in. There was nothing she could respond with or do that would make the situation better or help her heart stop hurting. She was feeling the loneliness she felt when he left the first time.

Three days before Sasuke left the first time, Sakura had found out that her 'parents' were actually hired caretakers for Sakura until she was 14. Her mother's frustration and father's lack of compassion over the years hadn't been typical, like she thought, and so she was right; they were acts. Haruno wasn't just a last name; it was a forgotten clan from the northern lands in the Fire Country. One Tsunade had failed to mention that she, too, was a distant member of. Sakura was the surviving daughter of the head, who had perished with the rest of the clan when a chakra disease infected their lands. Just like Sasuke, Sakura was the only one left of her people, and just like him, she felt alone and isolated. The secrecy, the lies, everything about her was almost an exact reflection of his and Naruto's! Only, they didn't know.

The truth came bombarding on her like a rock. She had come 'home' to an empty house, her 'parents' had already left, and in their place stood an elder and three ANBU members. It took about an hour to explain, it was the day Sakura understood why she was able to control her chakra so well. Like that of the Hyuuga and Uchiha, the Haruno clan trait was unmatched chakra control. However, what had been their treasure was also their demise. She had learned their clan wasn't large in numbers, her people had a habit of breaking off and with this came diminishing numbers of true Haruno. Tsunade was the granddaughter of her father's great uncle. Due to Tsunade's mixed blood, she trained for strength with her Haruno roots, which is what lead her to position as sannin. This familial discovery is also why, upon the return of Tsunade to Leaf, Sakura became her apprentice. Now, however, Sakura's ability to control her chakra is her ultimate evidence of being the Haruno head. As far as her 'parents' were concerned, they left without a trace. Truthfully, Sakura felt almost indifferent. She never felt a bond to them, she was different. It pained her to think of all the times Ino or TenTen had scolded her for not listening to them or for avoiding home, now she understood why she didn't want to be around them. After she had learned the truth, Leaf allowed her to stay in the house, to keep up pretenses if she had so chosen and that plans for Tsunade returning were in progress.

Sakura felt the chill of loneliness more than she ever had before. Then, both Sasuke and Naruto left her. She had years of isolation to be alone with her new truth, years to go on missions without company, years of pain that she hadn't told her team because with this new beginning she thought she could finally tell them! Now, he was leaving again.

Sakura put her hands firmly on the table and stood, she locked her eyes with the plates.

"Well, I have to get back to the hospital. I have that thing to attend to," she stated then looked at Kakashi, Sai and Naruto with a smile. When she got to Sasuke, her smile faded. He locked eyes with her, curious beyond reason what was going on in her head.

"If you need help, with Tsunade, I can be pretty persuasive with her," her kind offer didn't match her expression, "She can be pretty unreasonable at times, especially now that her term is coming to an end." Sasuke nodded in thanks, never leaving her gaze.

Then, as simply as she had come, she walked out. The four of them a little taken aback at her sudden departure, she hadn't eaten much.

Naruto sat in silence, then he looked down at her plate. His eyes widen and his goofy nature returned, "Ah! Waitttttt, who's gonna pay for Sakuraaa-channn?! She didn't even leave any money!" he wailed with his arms in the air. Sai shook his head and said Naruto should do it because he left Sakura for Hinata. This started a huge, loud debate between the two that Kakashi and Sasuke blocked mentally.

"She still loves you, you know that right?" Kakashi said softly to Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke, I understand you have to do this, but don't you think you could have been… a little more delicate with her in this matter?" Kakashi's eye squinted in distaste for how Sasuke handled his execution.

"She's a sannin, Kakashi. She's surpassed you and I don't see you asking for delicacy," he reputed.

Kakashi sighed. "I know her skills as a ninja, Sasuke, but perhaps what you'll learn on your journey is that people are human before they are shinobi. She's been through more than you know." (Kakashi's the only one that knows Sakura's past, fyi.)

Sasuke glared at him. "Like what? So she trained with Tsunade and had some good missions. She wouldn't understand like you or Naruto. There's no point in telling her in a different manner just because she thinks she loves me. Her parents love her. Her friends love her. She's my teammate, nothing more."

Kakashi stared at him with a blank expression. "You're a fool," and with that, Kakashi got up, squinted a smile under his mask at Naruto and Sai, and flashed away.

Naruto blinked at Kakashi's now sudden departure. He had his hands around Sai's throat in a playfully irritated manner, his big blue orbs looked down at the table again.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he exclaimed upon realizing he hadn't left money either. Sai snickered and went to speak but Naruto gritted his teeth and blurted, "Not a word!"

Sasuke sat in silence. Why was Kakashi so adamant about Sakura? Did he really not know something? He frowned.

"Dobe. Shut up," he said to Naruto. Before Naruto could argue, Sasuke spoke again.

"When was the last time you saw Sakura's parents?"

Naruto looked annoyed, letting Sai go, who then straightened his clothes, Naruto closed his eyes and was going to confidently answer, but as quickly as Naruto's index finger found its way upright, it curled. Naruto opened his eyes and took on a look of thought. Thinking harder, his expression hardened.

"Well. Erm. I haven't. I mean, I know what they look like, but that was because I saw them a long, long time ago. Like before you…," Naruto replied. He looked at Sasuke, "Why are you asking anyway?"

Sasuke met Naruto's eyes with a cold look. "I was just curious." Naruto's face slowly lit up and his mouth curled into a cat's mouth.

"C'mon! I know you like her! Scared to meet her dad?" Naruto started to tease, poking Sasuke's side. Sasuke closed his eyes and inhaled.

Bam! Sasuke struck Naruto in the face. "No, baka. I just think it's strange."

Naruto rubbed his face and muttered curses at Sasuke under his breath. "If you're so curious, why don't you go see if they're home? She still lives in the same place."

"Hn," Sasuke said. Then, without Naruto even comprehending what had happened, Sasuke was gone.

"…Argh! There's no relying on these people anymore! Sai, at leas…," Naruto began when he looked up from his position on the floor to find Sai had left him a picture. It was a self portrait of Sai flipping Naruto off. Naruto was left with the bill!

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><p><em>Next Chapter: Sasuke discovers the truth about Sakura Haruno! <em>


	5. Author's note

**A/N:** Hello! I know it's been A WHILE. I wanted to inform everyone that **I will be continuing this story** where I left off and will update it weekly! **Every Friday.** :D I apologize for the time lapse, but I hope you will continue to read my story. Thank you and look forward to tomorrow! Please re-read it if you need to, I know even I will need to refresh my memory!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Naruto.

~Tsu


	6. Destroyed

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or anything related to the series.

Sakura had started out walking, quite slowly at first, then her pace quickened with the passing of each block. After about three, she was sprinting, then after about five, she was jumping rooftops and hopping electrical poles. She flew past her house, there was no point in entering; she'd find nothing there to comfort her. Instead, she found herself at the training grounds, which were naturally empty as it was well past 10 at night.

When she finally stopped in front of the three poles Kakashi had once pinned them to, she felt total emptiness. There was nothing, or so she thought until she clenched her right fist so tight her nails broke the skin of her palm. From there, she bit her inner lip, also drawing blood. Then, at last, she reared her chakra swollen fist back and made mulch out of all three wooden figures.

"Ahhh!" she screamed, disregarding anyone she may have disturbed. _Stop! Just stop! Please! _She pleaded with herself to stop the pain in her chest. She could convince her heart to stop beating, right? She could forget to love him, _I mean, C'mon, how hard could it be? _She huffed in air, panting and sweating, she just dropped to the floor.

It was funny. Here she was, so full of energy, but so defeated. Physically, she felt like she could take on Karuma, but emotionally, she was dying. No battle wound had ever come close to this agony.

_I... just can't. _Sakura remained on the ground, without a facial expression, without a word, she just sat and became lost in herself.

Sasuke flashed between roofs, it would have taken a very skilled ninja to see him. He wasn't in a hurry, but he was swift in his movements. A thunder-like sound startled him from the northwest, but besides the sound nothing else gave evidence of an emergency, so he continued toward her house. He eventually saw it in the distance, so he jumped to the ground and started up the front steps.

He paused and observed the building. It looked like the roof had been repaired in the month since Leaf had been begun reconstruction after the war. Upon further analysis, he noticed it was dark, completely.

_Have her parents already gone to sleep? _He decided to hell with it, he'd ring the doorbell and should they answer he'd tell them he needed her for a medical reason at the hospital. After he rung the bell, it remained empty in the house. He rung it again. Nothing... there was no harm in breaking an entry, right? Then again... he reached for the door handle and turned... it wasn't breaking an entry if it was unlocked, was it? He stepped in and surveyed the area and immediately he knew something was amiss.

_Where are all the family photos? ... and shoes? _He studied the entry, a crucial area of a house. Upon entering a family home, the norm is to find evidence of a family, like pictures, shoes, coats, perhaps the smell of food or dust from the amount of people living there. None of which he witnessed. He found one pair of shoes, no doubt Sakura's. The color and size were a dead give away. There was a significant lack of photos, in fact, there was only two: their team seven photo and a photo of Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade from what appeared to be within the recent years. Likewise, her side table was almost free of dust, something you'd only find from a one person abode.

_Perhaps the family portraits are farther in._ He continued inward, mindful of any sound, but nothing made him suspicious of any occupants in the residency. He entered the living room, which was surprisingly to his liking. It was just enough, nothing was excessive. Two sofas parallel to each other, black leather with a visible frame and a glass coffee table in between them with a matching steel frame. Beneath the sofas and table was a white, fluffy rug large enough to separate the legs of the sofas and table from the wooden floor but small enough that the wood paneling could be seen around the rest of the room. The kitchen was to the right, two steps led up to it. It was a semi-open floor plan, but instead of a family feel, it radiated independence, contemporary, and... lonely essence. Nothing was out of place or messy, save a few medical reports that lay on the bar that separated the living room and kitchen.

_This isn't right. It's like she's been here alone for longer than would seem appropriate..._ he turned on his heel and approached the stairs. He scoured the steps and took no time opening doors. It was a three bedroom house, two and half bath. The only bedroom that evidence of a resident was her's. It was the most personable rooms of them. She had a queen size bed with four white, wooden posts and a red bedspread with white accent pillows. In the far corner, nearest to the windows was a full body, oval mirror that stood on black, metal posts which swirled at the end. At the end of her bed was a navy blue chest, then parallel to her bed was a white, wooden wardrobe. He found himself relaxed and almost basking in her room. It was feminine but not overbearing. It was Sakura, it was sophisticated and elegant. The best part, though, was the smell. A faint hint of cherry blossom and vanilla, just there enough for him to smell.

Wait... Sakura. He frowned. He knew she had not gone to the hospital. She didn't leave in the right direction from the restaurant, if anything, she could lie from her mouth for damn sure, but she always gave herself away physically in the end.

It was then that he heard it. A bloodcurdling scream from the same place as the thunder-like sound. He thought for a half a moment.

_Tch! Uchiha, you dumb ass. _Sasuke left her house without a trace but with a definite new discovery: Sakura did not live with her parents. There wasn't anything that even suggested they ever existed. No photos, no clothes, no notes, no letter, nothing. And he would find out why. He ran toward the training grounds.

He practically skidded to a stop. His eye widened, his mouth was slightly ajar and his eyebrow twitched. What it kami's name...

The ground was destroyed. How had no one felt this? How had he not felt this?! How... _there..._ He saw a glimpse of pink. It was her. She was just laying down on one of the remaining pieces of ground. He slowly approached her and stopped about eight feet away.

"Sakura... what happened?" He asked with a poker face.

She didn't even move. Her face was straight, she was laying face up, each arm splayed out on either side, her legs draped on the floor about a foot apart from each other. He inhaled sharply. _Answer me,_ he thought, getting irritated at her silence. He used to never be able to get her to shut up, and now when he actually wanted her to speak, she didn't even twitch.

"Sakura," he said, moving a few steps closer. "Sakura, why did you lie to us?" A few seconds passed and she had yet to acknowledge his presence. Sakura simply remained transfixed on the stars and moon. He noticed where her skin was exposed she was glistening in moisture, no doubt this damage took a toll on her physically. The moonlight reflected the droplets on her in an enticing way. _When did she become so... radiant?_ It was dark, besides the moon, but looking at her was like having a star on Earth. His frustration had almost disappeared until he saw her eyes. They were bloodshot and swollen. He gritted his teeth. Had she been crying?

"Sakura, I don't have tim..." he began.

"Then just leave," she interrupted without breaking her gaze from the sky.

His eyes hardened from disbelief. _What? _He thought sharply. He stepped up to her and leaned over her face, blocking her view from the moon.

"Excuse me?" he replied.

At first, her facial expression didn't change. She just needed to get him out of her head. Then, he said that. Her eyes came back into focus, like her soul was returning from a journey.

_Oh. My. God. Sasuke-kun?! _she thought frantically. Her mouth dropped opened and her whole body tensed.

"Sas...uke-kun?" she whispered as her eyebrows began to furrow.

"Hn," he stated, amused at her somewhat more normal response. "I asked you a question, Sakura."

She stared dazed and confused into his eyes, but damn did she love being dazed and confused in his eyes. He didn't even have to use sharingan on her. Whoa, wait.

"What?" she asked.

"What the hell happened here?" he repeated, offering her a hand to get up.

She took his hand, a simple gesture that put a lump in her throat and skip in her heartbeat. After rising to her feet and steadying herself, she took in the sparring area. Sakura gasped and squeezed Sasuke's hand that neither had released after she stood.

"Oh dear Kami..." her eyes widened and she gasped for air. She destroyed it! Thank Kami the trees were still standing but the same could not be said for the opening. Tsunade would have her ass.

"Well... I was doing some chakra exercises and I guess I got a little out of hand," after her last word, she realized something she still had a tight grip on. She released his hand quickly, but not without noticing his hand's movement to grab hers again before he caught himself. She questioned if what she had seen was correct but she dismissed the idea and faced him.

"So that's that! Maybe don't mention this to Tsunade when you ask for permission to leave. I think I'll hold this off as long as I can..." she said.

_This isn't exactly going to go unnoticed when the genin show up in the morning..._ he thought to himself but chose to not bring that to her attention.

"Sakura, how come no one noticed this? Damage like this would cause some sort of quake in the village or a sound effect."

"I always set a jutsu around the fields when I practice alone for that very reason," she replied. She began to skip around the craters in the ground toward the village and also released the jutsu.

Sasuke followed. "I see, and why did you lie to us in the restaurant? You said you were going to the hospital."

Sakura didn't stop, she continued forward, although she was at a lost for words. She hadn't expected to see him again tonight. She was usually quick on her feet to come up with a little excuse but right when she thought of something, he spoke again.

"And why does your house have no evidence of you ever having a family?" She stopped and he copied.

Her heart may have stopped, she wasn't sure yet. _He went to my house? Why is he so interested? He WENT into my house?! He remembers where I live? He knew where I lived? _She was aware then that her heart had not stopped because she was trying to calm it down even a little bit.

Without turning around to face him, she said just loud enough for it to be audible, "Why do you care?"

Just as he had taken her by surprise, she had taken him in the same manner. _Because... I... fuck, _he thought.

**A/N: **I was afraid I wouldn't upload it tomorrow so I want to go ahead and publish this! If I have time tomorrow, I might publish another chapter. Regardless, my weekly update is fulfilled! ~Tsu


	7. A Step Forward

Sasuke wasn't sure he knew the right response. He didn't want to deceive her should he choose the wrong words, but he also really wasn't sure what the truth was about why. He wasn't satisfied with any of his answers in his head. A few moments of silence passed between them, a light breeze billowed Sakura's hair. Sasuke caught himself mesmerized by the way it moved, by the way her clothes shifted against her curves, by the way her shoulders were positioned: firm yet somehow graceful.

_Why do I care? _He thought. He hadn't broken his gaze from her silhouette. _Sakura…_

Sakura felt frozen, she didn't think she could move even if she tried. Her breathing was shallow and her heart drummed against her ribs. She bit her bottom lip, drawing blood from the same spot she had earlier wounded. She flinched from the sting, an action that made her mentally curse herself.

_You're a second generation sannin, you're Lady Hokage's apprentice, you're the lead medic in all of Leaf, you can take down Kaguya but you flinch at a little nibble?! There goes anything good Sasuke thought of you, baka. _Sakura thought to herself. _Whatever, I should've kept that question to myself. Move. Just… one foot. C'mon, Haruno! _

Just as Sakura had begun to take a step forward, Sasuke grabbed her elbow causing her to swing around toward him.

"Wha!" Sakura gasped, wide eyed with a gapping mouth. She had been too consumed in her own thoughts for a proper reaction when he pulled her arm and lost her footing. She stumbled right into his chest and out of reflex, her free hand grabbed onto his poncho right below his shoulder.

_OhdearKamiOhdearKami…. This is not happening! _Sakura feverishly thought as she stared into his chest, eyes down but as big as saucers. Her left arm remained grasped in his right hand while her right arm still clung to his clothes.

Sasuke hadn't meant to yank her so hard, but then again any amount of force on Sakura was greater than most considering her petite size, especially in comparison to his muscular frame. His grip on her arm had become a bit more firm in order to stable her fall; he hadn't even thought to use his arm. He found it morbidly humorous that he hadn't yet regained consciousness of having two arms again.

Regardless, he loosened his grasp on her arm, not wanting to bruise or injure her. Yet, he did not release her; her skin was cool, creamy and smooth. His thumb ran across a scar and he frowned, wondering how she had been hurt and who did it. Sasuke locked his eyes on the top of her head.

_She was named appropriately, that's for sure. _He thought in concern to her hair color. He smirked, even in the darkest of times, whenever he had come across a cherry blossom or focused on a pink color in a crowd, he had always thought of her. His face grew stern. How had he not realized that before? He was so blood thirsty, so lost; he had been so sure that he had cut all ties but Sakura… she somehow had remained tucked away in the back of his mind. Why would someone he had once found so annoying and useless be so present in his twisted mind?

_She's not annoying, though, or useless. Look at the effort she put in, just like Naruto and I. She's the third second-generation sannin that completes our team. She's surpassed Tsunade in medical ninjutsu, she healed everyone on the battlefield, her chakra control has literally always been better than mine and Naruto's but I was just too much of a stubborn ass to acknowledge her capabilities. She's… _Sasuke thought before he was interrupted by Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura chirped.

She had gathered the courage to look up at Sasuke. His eyes were glazed over but they were firmly planted on her. He was so handsome. Her green orbs searched his face and sucked in every detail. From the chiseled features of his jawlines, to the tips of his hair, and the deep secrets of his eyes. He was more attractive in this moment than he ever had been before. He was looking at her but she could tell he was somewhere else. Despite that, though, Sakura blushed. She had never been so close to him for such an intimate amount of time. Her heart stung, though, when she realized that in his fashion and more mature age, he had begun to resemble Itachi. She grew anxious upon her thought, she couldn't tell him about his brother. Not yet…

Sasuke snapped out of his inner conversation. His eyes once again came into focus and he found her head was craned upwards and her eyes were searching his. Had her eyes always been so majestic and full of wonder? Sasuke questioned internally. He lowered their arms to their side but instead of letting her arm go, he slid his hand down and lightly held onto hers. She didn't look, but she couldn't hide her emotions, Sasuke saw the color rise to her face and her eyes became a little bigger.

"I care because you're an important friend. I don't want to see anything happen to people who are important to me again," he said in response to her question that seemed like it had been asked an eternity ago. Furthermore, though, his reply was honest and true. He felt like more could be said, but he knew after the words had escaped him that it was all laced with truth.

Her heart skipped and her lips opened a tiny bit in response. Sakura's hand that Sasuke held squeezed his response. She closed her mouth and smiled with a more relaxed facial expression.

His heart warmed at the look on her face, and to be honest, the smallest bit of color appeared on his cheeks. He was at a lost; he had never dealt with this before. Sakura could see his confusion at the situation and it made her giggle. She let go of his clothes and put her hand up to her mouth she laughed. Holding on to his hand she turned to the side and cranked her head in the direction of town.

"Maybe that conversation, about my parents," she looked a little sad when she spoke, "is better kept for another day. It's late; let's head back to town, Sasuke-kun." She started to step forward, leading him with her hand to follow suite.

He held her hand just as firmly as she did to his.

"Hn," was all he could respond, as he was still flustered about the rising heat to his face.

_What is wrong with me?! _He thought to himself.

As the two sannin made their way toward home, little did they know there were prying eyes among the trees who had long since lost interest in his itchi itchi book. He only smiled beneath his mask as he continued reading under the moonlight.

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><p><strong>an: **I do not own Naruto! As always, let me know what you think! -Tsu


	8. Roles Reversed

**A/N: **I have no idea how this is going to turn out! I'm quite sick and I can barely keep my opens in the middle of the day, but I'm determined to give you all something!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing affiliated with the Naruto franchise.

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><p>Sasuke and Sakura had walked the entire distance from the sparring fields to the center of Leaf hand-in-hand. No words were exchanged, just the occasional eye contact which was always followed by a dainty smile from Sakura and an ever studious look on Sasuke's face.<p>

He didn't know how it happened or why or when, but he wasn't opposed to being so openly affectionate with Sakura. Granted, it was like midnight and only the random drunks or adolescents that were sneaky about were witness to this rarity, but regardless, he could care less if they saw. They came to a stop in the middle of town; there were some street lamps that gave off just enough light that the two shinobi could see each other's facial expressions.

Sakura was gleaming with happiness, something he realized he had not seen in many years. He smirked a bit; it was just like their gennin days. She slid her hand out of his, something he wasn't ready for her to do but allowed it. His own hand dropped to his side whereas hers intertwined with its pair behind her back.

"I guess I should be thanking you, Sasuke-kun," she said matter-of-factly, "if you hadn't come looking for me, I probably would have fallen asleep out there."

Studying her face, he only responded with, "Hn." He couldn't manage much more. His original plan was to find out about her living arrangements; he hadn't expected to end the night like this: confused and flustered.

Sakura told him she was tired and that it was probably best they both get some rest. Naturally he agreed, he was ready to escape this situation. He would need to be alone to dissect tonight properly, but he didn't even look forward to that. He turned around and started walking toward his compound when he heard Sakura speak.

"My parents were never my parents. They were my caretakers until I became of age. You left the following day and shortly after that Naruto followed suit. I was alone my whole life, but the worst part was I didn't know until it was too late, you were gone and soon so was he."

Sasuke remained planted to the ground and had not faced her, only listened.

"It's funny, really. I was alone up until that point, but I didn't know it. Then, when I understood my loneliness, I thought I could find comfort in my real family: Naruto, Kakashi-sensei and you, Sasuke. But just like my first family, all of you were sucked away in an instant," Sakura was staring a hole in the back of his head.

Sasuke had begun to furrow his eyebrows and his onyx eyes only appeared to be blackening in an abyss of fury. _She… is she lying? Would Leaf… tch… of course Leaf would keep something like that a secret. This damn village hid secrets from me and Naruto about our families. Why wouldn't they do it to her, too? _

Sakura hung her head lightly and had changed her focal point from Sasuke's head to his feet.

"I was never angry with you or Naruto, not really. You both left and I… I wanted to catch up with you both so badly!" Sakura exclaimed, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth at the end of the sentence.

"I pushed myself to passed limits that were never meant to be crossed," she said before biting her lip, "and finally, finally," she sighed like a burden had been lifted off her shoulder, "during the fourth great ninja war I was able to stand tall next to you both."

Tears stung at her eyes. "I do regret something though. I regret not having had the chance to tell you and Naruto about my past. Maybe if I had, you could have looked at me with equality and felt dignified having me as a teammate like you always have with Naruto."

Sasuke grew stiff at her last proclamation. He felt true anger toward himself when he recollected his attitude and demeanor he had once felt toward Sakura. Regardless of that, however, he didn't know what to do with new information. He knew it was a brief overview of the entirety her actual past, but it was still too much for the Uchiha to process. He was in the process of making a step back to look at Sakura, when he felt her presence immediately behind him.

Sakura's head barely reached Sasuke's shoulders; she was standing directly behind him, only an inch or two from his back. He could feel her breath hit the middle of his back. His heart pace quickened. _Dammit, Sakura, I can't take this!_

He again went turn around on his heels to face her when Sakura's arms shot up and wrapped around his torso from behind. His immediate thought was the chunnin exams when she somehow managed to stop him from slaughtering those sound nin. Sasuke's eyes widened and his mouth went slightly agape. Her eyes were shut tightly and her lips were curled inward.

"Thank you, Sasuke, for coming back," she murmured. His facial expression remained altered ever so slightly to look even more shocked. How is she doing this to him?

Then, just as quickly as she had grabbed him, she had released him.

"Good night… Sasuke-kun," and she weaved a few signs to quickly exit leaving Sasuke in the middle of leaf, speechless, with a racing heart and flustered emotions.

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><p><strong>AN: **I'm sorry it's short! This took a lot to get out, I am deathly sick! I truly wish it was longer, but hopefully I'll be feeling better soon and will be able to add to it either tomorrow or before the weekend is up! As always, I love seeing your reviews! I read them all! If you have any ideas or something you'd like to see happen, let me know, maybe I can work something out or you'll better the story you like to read! ~Tsu


	9. Family

**A/N: **I hope this makes up a little bit for the other day's short chapter! BTW, thank you for the reviews, as always, I love them! And thank you to ** .magnolias**! Your comment was nice and I appreciate the well wishes. :) ~Tsu

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><p>Sakura appeared in her bedroom through a large cloud that soon dissipated.<p>

_What have I done?! Oh my Kami, I don't think I should have done that…. No. No. That was fine. It is FINE, Sakura. You couldn't not tell him! You needed to say something. When would you have said anything otherwise? Uh, like, never probably! _She thought frantically.

After a few moments of racing thoughts, she undressed herself, leaving her old clothes in a pile against the wall. She slipped an oversized t-shirt on, a gift from Naruto with the Uzamaki crescent enlarged on the back. She slept in it almost every night, not that she'd ever let him know, he'd be too proud about it. It comforted her, though. She felt loved when she wore it, she knew Naruto would never feel any less about her just because he was in love with Hinata. Not that Sakura was jealous, she was exactly the opposite! However, she couldn't help but feel relieved that Naruto felt just as protective of Sakura now as he did before his newfound love interest. For a brief moment when Hinata and Naruto had begun seeing each other, Sakura worried that Naruto would forget about her. She relished in the idea of them being together, they were adorable to her; but she felt like she was someone who was easily forgotten. Sasuke could never love her, not even as a friend, so she questioned if Naruto wasn't fawning over her as a crush, would that mean that he would leave her emotionally just as easily as Sasuke had physically? Naturally, though, she had quickly been relieved of her worries.

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><p><strong>Flashback…<strong>

"_Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled across the street in a more than obnoxious level. He ran through the people, each of whom gave him a piece of their mind over his public behavior. A granny even hit him with her purse._

"_Watch where you're going, young man!" she exclaimed._

_Sakura just sighed from her location, shoulders drooping in her usual judgement of her teammate. When he reached her, he was heaving and rubbing his head from the wound he received by the elderly woman. _

_Right when she opened her mouth to lecture him about proper public behavior and crossing the street in a decent manner, he shoved a small package in her face. _

"_Here! This is for you!" he said with a huge grin planted on his face. _

_Sakura looked surprised, her lips skewed in a curious pout and an eyebrow rose._

"_This better not be a frog, oh great Toad Sage," she threatened as she began to tear away the paper covering._

_Underneath was a simple black t-shirt, probably too big for even Naruto, but on the back was his family symbol. She ran her hand across the circle._

"_Do you like it, Sakura-chan? It's too big, I know, that idiot at the store doesn't know what a small is!" He looked at her curiously, concerned that she'd throw it back or question his abilities in buying a simple shirt in the right size._

_She looked surprised at his question and met his gaze with confusion. _

"_You got this made for me?!" She questioned._

_Naruto raised an eyebrow at her, "Well, duh, Sakura-chan. You're my family. I understand why I grew up the way I did now, and I love and respect my parents for the sacrifices they made, but that doesn't mean I'm alone anymore. Unofficially but still kinda officially, you could be an Uzamaki, too! You beat me up just like any normal sister would I imagine!" He laughed at himself, throwing his arms behind his head._

_Sakura gapped at his statement. She clutched the shirt tightly in her hands. He wouldn't know the significance of his proclamation until later, but tears immediately stung her eyes. She bit her entire bottom lip and looked downward, trying to control her emotions but they were too much._

_Naruto's eye flew open and his hands went upward in defense. "Sakura-chan! I'm sorry! You don't have to take it! I didn't mean to…" _

_Sakura interrupted him by throwing her arms around his neck and burrowing her head into the base of his shoulders. He could feel the tears against his skin but he swelled with happiness after she spoke again._

"_Thank you, Naruto. This is THE best gift I have ever received. I love it." _

_To which he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and lifted her off her feet in the embrace. She was only able to manage reaching his neck because he had bent down when she started to cry. He spun her around just a few times and laughed in his usual manner when she went from giggling to wiping her tears and demanding he put her down. So long as she was happy, he would take 1000 scoldings from her. _

_After putting her down, Sakura placed the shirt in her bag. _

"_Does Hinata have one?" she asked._

_Naruto only wickedly grinned and blushed. _

_She wacked him over head, "Not only did Jiraiya teach you Sage mode, he taught you how to be a huge perv!" But she smiled while he recovered from her brute strength. They were undoubtedly family._

**End Flashback…**

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><p>After she finished reminiscing over how she received the shirt, she washed her face and climbed into bed. There was nothing more for her to do that night. It had been so long, from eating with the team, to destroying the sparing fields (she cringed when she realized she'd have to deal with Tsunade tomorrow) and all the things between her and Sasuke. She was sure he would never want anything to do with her again.<p>

She sighed. Right now, though, was not the time to be thinking of that. It had to have been 1 or 2 AM. Then, without any struggle, she fell into a deep sleep.

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><p>Sasuke had walked back to his apartment, which was fairly close to Naruto's. He was on autopilot. Everything and nothing at all seemed to be going through is mind. Why had he held hands with Sakura? Why <em>did<em> he care where her parents were? Why was he furious at the idea of her struggles while he and Naruto had been blind to her past? Why was he thinking about any of this at all?!

Like clockwork, he took a cold a shower, put on only sweatpants to sleep in and laid on top of the covers, one arm behind his head and the other draped over his abdomen. His eyes bore into the ceiling above him. The room was black, but the only color he could see was translucent emerald. His thoughts rolled over and over the nights' events. He was at war with himself: his choices from years past and from not too long ago. After about an hour of complete silence and no movement, Sasuke came to one conclusion: He hadn't been madly in love with her, but perhaps for longer than he ever wanted to admit, he cared for Sakura in a manner unbecoming of teammates.

Shortly thereafter, he closed his eyes and slept peacefully through the night.

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><p>Seven hours later, however, three members of team seven were being awoken by the presence of an ANBU member in their room.<p>

"Uzamaki Naruto…"

"Haruno Sakura…"

"Uchiha Sasuke…"

"Lady Hokage has requested your presence immediately."


	10. Mission

**A/N**: Thank you, **Rin** and **Tanya**! I appreciate it and hope everyone enjoys this chapter! It took me quite some time! ~Tsu

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><p>Each respective shinobi nodded to the ANBU present in their room and thereafter the messenger left to allow the members of team seven to prepare for their meeting with the Hokage. Within 5 minutes, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were standing outside of Tsunade's office.<p>

Glancing at one another, Naruto spoke first, "A mission no doubt. Finally! I was getting bored."

Sakura could hear the bit of excitement in his voice, but just like her, she could also feel the hidden anxiety. The last action they saw was the fourth ninja war, like that wasn't enough, it also confirmed their new titles as the second generation sannin. Having Lady Tsunade call all three of them made Sakura jittery with nerves. Why would she need all three of them? Sakura's thoughts immediately went to the worse possible scenarios.

Sasuke had been looking at Naruto when he spoke, but soon his attention was on Sakura. She was so short in comparison to the two of them, he had never quite noticed. He scoffed lightly when he remembered her brute strength. Size was definitely not a representation of her abilities. She hadn't noticed he was looking at her, which he was grateful. He had not, however, noticed that Naruto saw where Sasuke had decided to plant his eyes.

_Just how long are you going to torture yourself and her, Sasuke-teme? _Naruto thought. Sasuke felt the pull of someone's gaze. Sasuke looked at Naruto again and he wasn't surprised to find Naruto staring at him with a stoic expression, a rare look from the kyuubi host. Sasuke grimaced in return, confused as to why Naruto was looking at him like that.

Sakura didn't notice the brief moment between her teammates, she was too concerned with the issue at hand. So, she knocked on the door and the two men focused again on her and awaited the Hokage's response.

"Lady Tsunade?" Sakura questioned.

There was some rattling audible, no doubt the sound of sake bottles being thrown into a drawer. Sakura sighed and shook her head. She was sure the drinking had escalated as the end of Tsunade's term was quickly coming.

"You may enter," Tsunade spoke.

Sakura turned the door and entered first, followed by both men, who all stopped just short of Tsunade's desk. There was paperwork everywhere and a failed attempt at hiding the bottles behind a stack of mission files. Tsunade rubbed her eyes and looked at three shinobi in front of her who patiently waited for her to speak. She smiled softly beneath the hand over her lips.

_Just a few years ago, Naruto would have busted in here whining to know the mission details. Look who's finally silent, Jiraiya. Sakura, too, I'm so proud. She's so petite and figured now, but to have a student surpass me! Ha. _Tsunade closed her eyes in her prideful thoughts, _The daughter I never had. But then there's you. _She looked at Sasuke. _To think you came back. _Her eyes narrowed on him. He didn't react, it was nothing new. _What will you choose in life now? Will you be happy when you see __him__ alive? Or will you shun her again? _

After a few moments of silent recollection, Tsunade pulled a few profiles of some ninja from a nearby pile. Sakura wasn't surprised she was able to locate what she needed in the chaos but Naruto was determined to never let it get that messy when he takes the seat as Hokage.

"Most would think that after such a catastrophe as the war, the world would fall into an era of peace. However, history has proven that is not the case," she flipped the profiles of the ninja open on her desk. "These men are rouge ninja. I don't feel comfortable discussing quite yet what it is that they've been doing, but for now, understand that they have been organizing in the same manner as the Akatsuki. Their names are unknown, however, one is a previous Sound nin and the other two were members of Sand. Abilities are phenomenal and the Sound associate is a practitioner in dark medical ninjutsu, which is why you've been appointed to this mission, Sakura. Along with the obvious reason: being my successor as a sannin."

"The ex-Sand nin are formidable in Earth, Fire and Lightening style jutsus. Unfortunately, that is all that we are aware of. It would appear they have some crap notion of tearing down their homelands from the inside, blah blah, typical shit. Like we all don't have enough to worry about right now!" She slammed her hand on her desk in frustration.

Naruto flinched, that poor desk. Again, something he would never do while a Hokage.

"Well what do you want us to do, Granny?" He asked.

Tsunade's eye twitched. Oh, how she hated when he said that word.

"What I want you to do, Naruto, is find these sorry bastards and 'disband' them, for lack of a more discrete term. The world does not need another Akatsuki while it's trying to heal. Team seven, you leave immediately, your heading is north to the mountains. We believe they are attempting to make a headquarters in the Shouzi Forest in the Rain country. They've already taken 20 lives that we know of, in spite of their so-called enemies. End them, now."

Naruto and Sakura nodded in response, while Sasuke just looked onward. Tsunade knew that he understood his mission. It did remind her, though…

"Sakura, I need to speak with you privately. Naruto, Sasuke, go to the gate and wait for Sakura. It won't take long," Tsunade demanded to which the two men left.

After she was sure they were out of ears' range, Tsunade felt comfortable speaking.

"How is he, Sakura?"

"Well, he's improving tremendously. I expect him to wake up any day now," Sakura answered.

"Uh-huh. And how are you? I've never experienced distance healing, Sakura, this is a foreign concept to me. I told you to be careful with it," Tsunade singled in on Sakura's bloodshot eyes. It was obvious to Tsunade that her student was tired.

She was pushing herself like crazy to heal him for Sasuke. It ate away at Tsunade to see her like this. Sakura was so immensely dedicated to the Uchiha boy, to someone who had tried to kill her. Tsunade understood though. Unlike everyone else, Sakura saw the boy she knew, she saw the man Sasuke should have been, and she had faith in him to become that man. Now, here she was fulfilling her duties as head medic of Leaf and healing a man stained in blood and lies from afar with a jutsu no one had ever managed to perfect, let alone actually succeed.

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><p>(<span><strong>AN**: I actually don't know much about Itachi's death. I didn't read that part, I know he touched Sasuke's forehead and it surprised Sasuke. I'm going to change it up: Sakura found Itachi's body while on a mission a day after his death and preserved him then brought him back to Leaf secretly, but with Tsunade's permission and under her private supervision.)

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><p>"I'll be fine, Tsunade-sama. It's coming along well!" Sakura smiled with her eyes closed, but Tsunade knew she was physically exhausted. Sakura was pushing herself to produce enough chakra for herself and for Itachi. She had created a long distance jutsu to connect herself with Itachi's body at all times. There had been some instances that it had affected Sakura, she felt the pain of his body healing, which was outside of anything Tsunade had ever dealt with. Sakura was on her own, she had become the teacher.<p>

"I'll be able to keep the connection while on this mission, I'm sure. But his vitals have finally stabilized; even now I can feel his heartbeat. It's strong and becoming steadier. The only issue is his chakra. It's forming, but slowly in comparison to the rest of him. I'm not sure if I should expect slow progress or a sudden heap of production," she looked concerned at the thought.

"Keep me updated. It was a pain to get him unnoticed. The elders are aware he is here now," she sighed in annoyance, "that was a fiasco. Most any one of authority is also in the know. Kakashi is included in that private group. We have decided it will only become public news should he awaken," Tsunade said.

"I guarantee you he will be awake very soon," Sakura confidently replied.

"Then," Tsunade commented, "I recommend you tell Sasuke. He has a right to know before anyone. It might be something worth speaking about during this mission. If it won't distract you."

She wasn't expecting her to stay that. Sakura hadn't quite dived into the idea that Sasuke would need to know soon. She had been so focused on healing the village and Itachi that she forgot when Itachi did wake up, Sasuke would of course need to be told. Tsunade was right, though. He needed to know before his brother awoke. Sasuke would need time to process that his brother was actually alive and he wasn't as alone as he thought. She inhaled a gulp of air and heaved it out.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

"You may go, now, Sakura. Good luck," she said.

Sakura bowed, jumped out the window and skipped across rooftops until she came to the gate where she found her team. Sasuke and was leaning up against the doorway, arms crossed under his poncho, eyes closed and a foot propped up against wood. Naruto was perpendicular to Sasuke, his arms behind his head and he was telling Hinata goodbye. Surprisingly, Hinata got up on her tippy toes and planted a quick peck on Naruto's lips. He was at first, taken aback, his eyes flew open and his body had remained in the same position. Even Sasuke looked through one eye and was impressed by the shy girl's boldness.

"Be safe, Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered.

"Wha.. WHA?! Hinata-chan!" Naruto's face became beat red and he started smiling from ear to ear.

Hinata giggled and Sasuke just 'tch-ed' at his loudness. Hinata looked at Sasuke and told him to be safe as well and to watch out for Naruto. Sasuke nodded in replied and she smiled softly and headed off away from the gates back into the village.

Sasuke could sense Sakura's presence so he looked in the direction Hinata had headed. He found the two kunoichi speaking amongst themselves, no doubt saying well wishes and added girl stuff. He liked the Hyuuga, she wasn't afraid of him, or at least she wasn't obvious if she was. He was sure it was because he was Naruto's best friend and he had probably made Sasuke sound decent to Hinata in their private conversations. It appeared to Sasuke that Sakura was comfortable with the girl, she seemed at ease in their talk and she even hugged Hinata goodbye. He thought about it, Sakura seemed to associate with the Hyuuga and that Ino girl a lot, then there was also the brunette kunoichi from Rock Lee's and Neji's team. They seemed like decent people to be in her life. He was annoyed himself suddenly, since when did he think about who Sakura hung out with when she wasn't with him or Naruto or the hospital or Tsunade? …. When did he list her most popular surroundings either? He closed his eyes again.

"Are we ready?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura caught up to them at the gate and looked at him. _This mission is going to be a nightmare. _She thought.

"Yeah! I've been ready since yesterday!" Naruto proclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

"Shut up, dobe. I'm the team leader. We'll head north until dusk, that should get us almost out of Fire," Sasuke said.

Naturally, Naruto disputed but Sasuke started walking into the forest and Sakura was in sync with Sasuke. A new location for her, he thought, though. She use to trail behind him and Naruto, this time, though, she was directly next to him. Something he could get use to. Naruto eventually caught, grumpy, but he was there. So with his arrival, they took to the trees.

About four hours went by in silence, but it was broken by Naruto's stomach.

"Oi! Teme! I'm hungry! Let's stop for lunch," Naruto moaned.

"We don't have time for that, dobe," Sasuke argued.

Sakura listened to Naruto complain and she watched Sasuke give him looks and nasty comments. It lightened her heart to see them so casual. Randomly, though, her chakra surged, and her seal enveloped her body. She could control it, gasping loudly she lost her footing on a branch and shut her eyes. Her chakra was out of control, so much that it the purple markings began glowing. It was Itachi, he was in desperate need of it. She knew he was getting ready to wake up but she hadn't expected his body's desire for energy.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, jumping down to catch her. However, he was too slow. He barely saw the flash of black when Sasuke whisked past him.

Sasuke caught Sakura bridal style and skidded into a tree branch with her in his arms. She was sweating and clenching her head. He knew she was trying to get her seal under control but it was fighting with her.

"Concentrate," he said as he brushed some hair out of her face.

She attempted to control her breathing and Naruto jumped down to them, a concerned expression crept onto his face.

"Sakura-chan, what's going on?" Naruto asked, something Sasuke was very interested in knowing.

"Patient," she gasped, "healing," she exhaled sharply, "it's my own jutsu," she gasped again. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, Itachi's mental grip on her chakra released and her seal resided back to her diamond on her forehead.

"What patient needs you to heal them like this, Sakura?" Sasuke asked as he held onto her.

She could only look into his eyes as she decided her next words.

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><p>AN: Your reviews always motivate me! I LOVE reading them and knowing that someone is enjoying my story. ;) ~Tsu


	11. Kunoichi

**A/N: **I took the advice of Exclair and I became familiar with Itachi's death in addition to when he was reanimated! I will stick with my story of Sakura finding his body about a day after his "death," but instead she will have found him on the verge of death. For the sake of the story, only a medic would have been able to tell he was still alive. Torikai and  .Magnolias, thank you both very much! Everyone else, I have read all your reviews, they each make me very happy! Please enjoy this chapter!

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><p><em>Quick, Sakura, think!<em> She thought frantically. Her eyes remained glued on Sasuke's, this was not happening this early into the mission.

"The specifics are confidential, I'm afraid I can't share, even with you two. I can tell you that this patient has been a top priority for quite some time. Tsunade and I are both very eager to see their progress through, after the life they've had, this is the least that can be done for them," she responded, hoping she had managed to keep even his gender a secret. Additionally, she hadn't lied! Technically speaking, at least. Everything she said was the truth, just not the entire truth.

Sasuke only studied her, he trusted what she had said but her hesitation after his question made his curiosity peak for a moment. If what she had said was all there was to it, why would she need to think of her answer? Granted, he supposed she was trying to keep it all under wraps.

"What about your chakra? Is this person linked to it?" Sasuke questioned.

"Hai, for now, their chakra is building. It's the last component to heal in the body in their case. Unfortunately, the most needy, too. I hadn't expected that, but now I will be more aware of their needs," she narrowed her eyes, "This will not affect my ability to complete this mission, captain."

Naruto glanced between the two, both of whom still had their eyes locked on one another. The kyuubi host noted that Sasuke didn't seem to like being call "captain" instead of "Sasuke-kun."

_It amazes me how blind you are to what has been in front of you for years, Uchiha, _Naruto thought.

He raised an eyebrow, "How much longer do you intend to hold her, Sasuke?"

Sakura realized their position: Sasuke was still cradling her bridal style while he was crouched down on a branch. Naruto had already stood and was looking down at them with his hands on his hips and his head cranked to the side.

She blushed, throwing a hand up to Naruto, "Well, help me up then, baka!"

He grabbed her hand and heaved her up to her feet, "Alright, now can we stop soon? I'm starving!" His stomach roared as evidence that he wasn't lying.

Sasuke stood up and Sakura giggled, grateful that Naruto's newfound issue would hopefully draw the attention away from what had just happened.

"I've up here before on a mission, there's a village about two miles north. It's not much, but there's a ramen stand, I think," Sakura said as she pondered if it was the right mission she was thinking of.

"Really? I don't remember us ever coming this was on a mission," Naruto replied.

She smiled softly but almost sadly, "Neither of you were here, Naruto," she exclaimed, "let's go." With that, she jumped up to the next branch and onward.

Both of the men just felt their heart crush. It was different for each, but no less painful for either. They exchanged looks, understanding the guilt the opposite felt. They had left her with no other option but to be strong. Where those two had left willingly for themselves, she was left alone.

"We failed," was all Naruto mustered before he followed after Sakura.

Sasuke watched their backs get smaller and smaller then he, too, followed suit.

Sakura mentally cursed herself, she knew she had made at least Naruto feel bad. It wasn't her intention, it had just come out. _Ugh, dammit. _

Naruto caught up to her, she looked over at him and could see he was troubled.

"Naruto, I," she started but then he spoke, "Sakura, I never apologized for leaving you like that. I suppose I had never thought about what you went through and I've never asked. Which is selfish of me, I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened as they both continued forward and she found it hard to swallow. She never wanted to be the cause of the look he had on his face now.

"Naruto, you… neither of you," knowing that Sasuke was on the other side of her, "have anything to apologize for," Naruto looked at her sharply to disagree but she closed her eyes and retaliated his attempt, "I mean it. That's that. We all followed our paths and look, we're together again! So, let's just focused on food so we can get back to the issue at hand."

Naruto smiled, he knew she was being honest but he also knew she was hiding something. Any time the past was brought up, she seemed so sad, it was very questionable to him. Before he could think about it any further he could see the small town up ahead. Then he smelled it: ramen.

Shortly after that, they were seated a ramen stand devouring huge bowls of soup. They were entertaining themselves with brief conversation when Sakura realized she was missing her bracelet. It would appear insignificant to most, it was a simple jade bracelet, nothing meant to catch anyone's attention. However, Ino had given it to her about two years ago as a sign of their friendship, which was very significant to Sakura after their history.

A comment behind her caught her ears as she was looking at ground, "Do you think it's real?" She looked in the direction of the voice, it was a tall man, handsome for sure, who had picked up her bracelet and was discussing it was another man.

"I'll be right back," Sakura said to her teammates.

They watched her walk across the street to a stand where some men were. The man holding her bracelet towered over her, she thought he was maybe Sasuke's height, but then again, this stranger may even have a few inches on him. He had hair similar to the second Hokage's, slicked back but spikey at the ends; it was dark brown, it reminded her of Neji's. His eyes, though, were breathtaking: crystal blue. He was also quite muscular; his shirt didn't have sleeves on it so she could see several small scars on his arms. His pants were bagging but the ends were stuffed into leg high shoes. He looked down at her and she neared, at first his expression was stoic but then it softened which caused Sakura to blush.

"Excuse me, but that bracelet is real and it's very much mine," she said politely, "Would you return it?"

Naruto sat facing the scene, but instead of leaving his ramen on the bar behind him he placed it in his lap and continued to stuff his face.

Sasuke wasn't completely turned around; his legs were facing Naruto's side. However, he could see her through his peripheral vision. Sasuke was acutely aware of the situation whereas Naruto seemed to be watching in amusement, surely waiting for the man to say no to which Sakura would send him into next week.

The man surveyed Sakura's face and smiled kindly, "I've noticed that there is something inscribed on the bracelet, if you can tell me where on the bracelet the inscription is and what it says, I'll be happy to return it to the rightful owner."

"The inside, it reads, 'There, that's better'," Sakura replied looking into his eyes and holding her hand out for it to be returned.

The smirked a little, "Alright, here you go, little miss." Placing it into her hand, she nodded in thanks and went to turn around when he grabbed her hand.

"Might I know your name in thanks?" He asked.

She looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, something the man found attractively dangerous. Sasuke flinched, his hand instinctively finding the hilt of his sword.

_Get your filthy hands off her, _Sasuke found himself thinking. His eyes narrowed threateningly.

_Send him flying, Sakura-chan! _Naruto chanted mentally.

"Riaaku Hiba," Sakura lied, "and yours?"

The man released her arm and placed both his hands behind him in a lock, leaning down to her ear, he whispered, "You shouldn't lie, kunoichi, you're not very good at it."

Before he could lean back up, she looked him dead in the eye and sultry spoke, "You're right," then she slithered an arm up his neck and placed her hand on the shoulder farthest from her, "I'm great at this though," right when he went to place a hand on her waist, she censored chakra into the tips of her fingers and shocked his nerves, sending the large man to his knees.

"Argh!" he grunted. His companions, who had been forgotten by Sakura, snickered in response from the stand.

She smiled proudly, "Thank you for returning my bracelet, stranger," she winked, "have a good day!"

Sakura practically skipped back to the ramen stand, Naruto belted out laughing but Sasuke's eyes looked between Sakura and the men. He didn't like this, something about it didn't feel right, not to mention he just plainly didn't like how bold the man had been with her.

Sliding the bracelet back onto her wrist, she slurped up the last bit of her ramen.

"Shall we, gentlemen?" Sakura inquired.

"Alright, back to work!" Naruto yelled, earning himself a smack on the head from Sakura.

Sasuke's eyes remained on the man; he was making his way to his feet when he locked gaze with Sasuke from across the way. He matched Sasuke's glare, then glanced at Sakura's back, and he smiled menacingly. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows and activated his sharingan, grabbing the hilt of his sword; their staring match was interrupted by some bystanders walking in the street. When they passed, the men were no longer standing there and Sasuke couldn't sense them.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned.

Sasuke had failed to notice that his teammates had already stood and were waiting adjacent from him at the ramen stand.

"Hn," he responded, getting up and joining them, "let's continue."

The three shinobi started back to the forest and into the trees.

From afar on a rooftop, they had peering eyes.

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><p>"Don't you think that was overkill, Ichigo?" a silver haired man with red eyes asked of the stranger who had been dealing with Sakura.<p>

"Kaname, now we know the black haired man is the surviving Uchiha and the kunoichi is strong in chakra control… and appetizing," Ichigo responded.

The third man finally spoke, "Let's begin."

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><p>"I don't like what happened back there," Sasuke suddenly said after about 30 minutes into their travelling.<p>

"Why not, teme? She put him on his ass!" Naruto hyped making Sakura smirk in pride.

"That's why, that little act gave away an ability of our team to any shinobi that may have been there," he refuted.

"Oi, c'mon, Sasuke! No shinobi would be there in that deadbeat town," Naruto said.

"Except us," Sasuke stated.

That silenced Naruto and even made Sakura lose her bubbly attitude.

"You don't think, those guys," Naruto started.

"I do. I think they were shinobi but what bothers me is they didn't have any distinguishable featu…," Sasuke started when Sakura grabbed him chakra strings and swung him into a tree along with Naruto.

They both grunted as they hit the trunk.

"Sakura, what the hell?!" Naruto proclaimed.

But she was staring face to face with the man Ichigo who had come up from under them with a double edged sword. He was grinning dangerously at her.

"You're sharp, kunoichi," Ichigo said.

Sasuke and Naruto were about to jump to her when they noticed the other two had circled them.

Sasuke's eyes were locked on Sakura and Ichigo while Naruto was focused on the two arrivals.

"Congratulations, shinobi, you found us," Kaname said.

Sakura's eye widened, "You're…"

"That's right, just the people you were looking for," Ichigo said, "let's play nicely, I'd hate to damage that sexy body, kunoichi."

That was when Sasuke had had enough.

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm really not satisfied with this chapter so I'll probably upload another one to add more sasusaku action by Monday. Have a nice weekend!


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